First Impressions
by Tonkswyrda
Summary: Remus meets Tonks for the first time, but his first impression of her is a little misguided. rating for light drug use.


The summer was stifling hot, and Remus was already feeling hot around the collar as he walked up Grimauld Place under the blazing sun. Sirius would be an absolute pain today, he was sure of it; his mood always got worse when the weather got better- although the same could be said for when the weather turned to shit. Remus knew he hated being cooped up inside, and he hated being cooped up inside with him. However, Remus hoped he might be in a slightly better mood today. He'd been away for two weeks on Order business, and just maybe the fact he was back would be enough to keep Sirius cheerful enough.

He was just nearing number 12 when he heard an all too familiar bark from behind him, and inwardly groaned. Someone had taken pity on him and let him out.

Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit.

With a resigned sigh he turned, facing a fence of dark green metal poles that surrounded the nearby park. Behind the fence was a tall row of dark bushes and trees, completely blocking whatever might be happening on the other side. As he crosses the road he could hear the mumblings of voices; most audibly that of Mundungus Fletcher. His hacky cough and cockney accent weren't hard to miss. Remus hoped Sirius wasn't sitting out with a bunch of his mates; things could easily take a turn for the worse.

As he swung a leg over the fence, the other voices became clearer, although he still didn't recognize them immediately. A woman laughed, and he frowned; that was a voice he hadn't heard before. Pulling himself over and landing gracefully on the other side, he suddenly wrinkled his nose; there was smoke drifting through the trees, and whatever it was, it was most definitely not legal.

It didn't take him long to find a clear path to the small clearing where the group was gathered. Leaning against a tree trunk he watched them, unobserved on the other side of the hazy smoke.

Dung was sitting, sprawled on the ground, pipe hanging from the corner of his mouth as he puffed and spoke animatedly at the same time. A thick green smoke rose from his pipe, drifting merrily throughout the clearing and constantly being swiped away by the others standing in it. The twins were there of course; laughing raucously at whatever story Dung was babbling. Sirius, transformed into the familiar shaggy black dog was curled up at their feet, yawning in the afternoon heat. Another Weasley stood beside them, wearing so much dragon hide he had to be Bill. These were all familiar faces to him. No, it was the strange girl standing half in the shadows that he didn't know.

She was pretty, he supposed, watching her from across the clearing as she fiddled with a small metal case, pulling out a smoke before putting it back in the pocket of her leather jacket. Using a muggle lighter she lit it, inhaling deeply before blowing it out to the sky. Another drag and she handed it over to Bill, stepping into the sunlight. Her short, messy, bubblegum pink hair shone in the sun, and Remus couldn't help but admire the curves of her pale legs- and, as she pulled the jacket off to sit in the sun, the curves of her chest. She ruffled her own hair before sitting back, closing her dark eyes in the sun. A loud purple t-shirt advertising last year's Weird Sisters concert clung snugly to her chest, and her short denim shorts were ripped and frayed. Her red sneakers kicked up dust as she waited impatiently for Bill to hand the smoke back to her- although from the smell, Remus was rather dubious as to its legality as well.

At least its smoke wasn't green.

But she was a complete stranger to him. And here she was, laughing and talking in a soft, animated voice with his friends. She must be a new member, he guessed; it was the only option that made sense, in his mind at least.

It took Sirius longer than usual to realize he was here.

Yawning again, the dog raised his head, shaking the dark fur. He starred at Remus for a full few seconds, blinking, before bounding to his feet, yapping ecstatically, and nearly knocking Remus off his own as he tried to hug him.

Dung quickly extinguished his pipe.

"Alright, Lupin?" he asked, burying it away in the folds of his cloak.

"Fine thanks." He pushed Sirius down again. "Yes, it's good to see you too!" a smile spread across his face. Even though he shouldn't be out of the house, it was nice to see his friend so happy. He'd let it go this one time.

On a more serious note, he turned to the twins, one of whom currently had the strange girl's smoke in hand.

"That isn't what I think it is… is it?"

They both shrugged.

"That depends," the girl chimed in, ruffling her hair once more as she stood, walking to take it from the twin's mouth, "on what you think it is." With a coy smile, she took another drag before walking past him, blowing the smoke into his face.

Definitely what he thought it was. Splif. Which was most definitely not legal, even in the Wizarding world.

Frowning he followed her with his eyes, watching as she stubbed the butt out under her shoe before swinging herself over the fence- and tripping, nearly meeting the pavement face first on the other side. Luckily, she caught herself on the fence at the last moment and righted herself, cheeks glowing red as she suppressed a giggle.

"Need a hand, Tonks?" Bill called with a smirk, following her.

"I do that normally and you know it!" she replied indignantly, pulling her jacket back on with a frown. "Come on, Snape's giving a speech today and I want to get a seat as far from him as possible."

Rolling his eyes Bill nodded, giving Remus a firm pat on the shoulder as he walked past, the rest of the group following him.

"You know Molly will do her nut if she finds out you were outside." Remus said to Sirius. The dog whined, pawing at his trousers. But Remus paid him no attention; his eyes were still transfixed on the girl with pink hair, who was taking a swig from a small hipflask before crossing the road and marching up the front steps to number 12.

There was a heavy thump on his leg, and Remus looked down. Sirius was eyeing him with what seemed to be amusement.

"Shut it," Remus told him irritably, picking Sirius up round the middle and boldly dropping him on the pavement before climbing over the fence himself and following the others into the house, where a loud commotion was already taking place.

The pink haired girl had apparently tripped over the troll leg umbrella stand- again from the sound of her apologies- and the portrait of Sirius' mother was screaming her head off, eyes bulging from their painted sockets. Kingsley and Bill were already stunning the other portraits while Mrs Weasley attempted to pull the curtains over Mrs Black. Finally, there was silence once more.

"Tonks dear, please, please look where you're walking!"

"Sorry." Tonks said meekly, hanging her head and looking rightfully ashamed. The small grin on her face said otherwise though.

Molly shook her head as Fred and George bounded past her, Mundungus in tow. Her face brightened as she saw Remus.

"Remus dear, you're back! What a lovely surprise, I wasn't sure if you'd be coming tonight, but you'll have to stay for dinner of course, Ginny and Hermione have been helping me with the stew and they've made a crumble for desert, bless them! I do hope you're well?"

"Fine Molly, thank you." His eyes were still watching the pink hair, the only bright colour in the dark hall, as it descended to the kitchen. "It sounds wonderful."

"Thank you dear, thank you- and don't think I've forgotten you, Sirius Black! Get back here now!"

Remus turned, just in time to see Sirius, back in human form, frozen on the steps, cursing under his breath as he turned back to face her.

"Yes, Molly?"

Excusing himself, Remus hurried down the stairs before the argument could get started. Seating himself in the corner out of the way, he turned his attention back to Tonks.

He told himself he was only so fascinated by her because she was the only one he didn't know, and he was still trying to work out where she fit into all this. She looked young; too young. She could barely be out of school, if at all. Yet he did not recognise her from the year he had taught. But in all honesty, she just didn't seem serious enough to be in the order. The pink hair, the band shirt, the drinking, the drugs- she was more teenager than adult. So he was surprised when Kingsley walked in and made a bee line for her, enveloping her in what seemed, judging from their faces, a strenuous and serious conversation. She was listening attentively, nodding, chewing on her thumb. Unfortunately, Dung had started up another loud story, so it was near impossible to hear what they were saying. He sighed. Eavesdropping was a bad habit anyway.

The sinking of the couch cushion announced Sirius' presence. Quickly, Remus averted his eyes to the floor. Sirius snorted.

"Eyes off my cousin please, Moony. I don't think she'd like it if she knew you were starring."

Remus turned to his friend, brushing off the last part of that comment.

"Your cousin?"

"Yeah, Andromeda's kid. You remember, we used to baby sit her sometimes? Green pig tails, liked playing dress up and putting James in dresses?"

"Really? That's her?" An image had swum forwards of a cute little smiley girl wearing a pink tutu, mismatched stripy socks, and always carrying round a worn, patched stuffed tiger. It didn't seem quite right that she had grown up so... well, so well.

"That's wee Nymphie, all grown up! I'm warning you Remus, don't mess with her. She hexes like a bitch. I do not fancy being on the receiving end of one of her spells!"

"That bad, huh?" Remus turned back to her. She and Kingsley had dropped their serious conversation now; he was speaking and she was laughing so hard she was having trouble keeping on her chair.

"Well, she is an auror. Don't fancy being a dark wizard these days either; not with her and Kingsley on the case."

An auror! Well, that explained how she fit into the Order, and why she and Kingsley were such good friends. No doubt he had been the one to bring her in to join while he was away.

"She's only been in a week, but she's gonna be useful, I'll tell you. Voldemort doesn't have anyone like her on his side!"

Remus frowned, pulling himself away. "What do you mean, 'like her'? Like what?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Calm it, mate! She's a metamorphmagus. Comes in handy every so often, I hear."

Well, that was even more interesting. Trying to be casual, Remus glanced back at her. Pink hair. It made a little more sense now.

She looked up, and their eyes met.

He knew he was blushing, knew he had been caught, and the upturned corners of her mouth told him that she knew he had been starring. Yet she didn't seem disturbed or annoyed; on the contrary, her dark eyes were alight with curiosity.

He wondered if she knew. What he was. About his condition.

She couldn't. She didn't look half as scared as she should be.

He wondered why he was spending so much time wondering about her. It was absolutely ridiculous. He did some quick math in his head- 3 years auror training, and if she'd gone in straight out of school... there had to be about 15 years between them, give or take a few. Not that he should be thinking about that at all. He shouldn't be thinking about her at all.

"Get a grip!" he muttered to himself under his breath. Straightening his shirt, he stood, and just in time- Dumbledore came sweeping in, meaning the meeting was about to start, and Molly began the arduous task of getting all the children out of the room. The raised voices gave him plenty of opportunity to clear his head, and pick a seat at the long table where she wouldn't be in his eye line if he was paying attention to Dumbledore like he was supposed to.

It was absolutely, positively and utterly ridiculous. She couldn't be more different to him. And besides, who in their right mind would be interested, in any way, in a werewolf?

His seating arrangement worked; he spent the whole meeting concentrating on what he was meant to be focusing on; the only distraction was Sirius constantly kicking him under the table, and slipping him sly grins every few minutes.

Unfortunately, his concentration wavered as soon as the meeting was over. And only a moment later, Sirius pulled him to his feet and dragged him from the room, refusing to respond to any of Remus' queries until they were shut in a dark upstairs broom closet.

"Do you fancy her?"

"Sirius! Don't be ridiculous!"

He heard Sirius snort in the dark. "Come off it. You barely looked at anyone else all night until the meeting."

"I've never met her before have I? Just trying to suss her out is all."

"Oh really? Got her well sussed then?"

Remus shrugged in the dark before realising his friend wouldn't be able to see. "A bit."

"Your type of girl?"

It was Remus' turn to snort. "You know better than anyone I don't have a type of girl. And besides, what's the point? She's way too young, and I'm a werewolf. Girls like her are never interested in guys like me. I'm sure she's lovely at all, but I don't think of her in that way! I mean, I only met her what, two hours ago?"

Sirius was silent a minute. "Alright then!" he said lightly and suddenly. "Just wanted to check! Come on, better get downstairs for dinner, Lamb stew!" He flung open the closet door and ran off down the stairs, leaving Remus in the closet, alone. With a sigh, he went to follow.

He had only reached the main landing when he was almost bowled over by a flash of pink hair, swearing loudly. Remus pressed himself against the wall to save them both from harm.

"You alright?" he asked warily.

She was grabbing a long dark cloak from the stand by the door, pushing her soft hair from her eyes. "Fine. I just forgot-" she pulled the door open and froze. Like a miracle, it had suddenly begun to bucket down in torrents.

With a sigh she collapsed on the top step. "Fuck."

Feeling a little awkward, Remus stepped out with her, blinking as the cold water hit his face. "What's up?"

"I forgot I was meant to be at my boyfriend's for dinner tonight. Our anniversary." She sighed again, putting her chin in her hands. "I'm already over an hour late. And I can't apparate properly like this."

He was about to ask "Like what?" when he remembered the splif and the giggles and her clumsy-ness.

"Oh, right. Would you like me to take you home?"

She shook her head, rummaging in her jacket pocket and bringing out the small metal tin again. "Thanks but no thanks. It was all headed that way anyway." Putting a splif in her mouth she lit it, taking a draught and watching as the smoke was dissolved in the rain. "It wasn't going to last much longer anyway. This'll be the last straw for him." She offered him the smoking stick. He shook his head, watching her elegantly shrug.

"That stuff's bad for you, you know."

She turned to look at him, grinning. "Everything kills you in the end. Life kills you. Might as well make the most of it while it lasts."

He didn't reply. He knew all too well how badly life could screw you over.

"We haven't been introduced." She said suddenly. "I'm Tonks. Well, Nymphadora Tonks, but no one calls me that. Tonks is fine." She held out her free hand. Slowly, he shook it.

"Remus. Lupin. Most everyone calls me Remus, funnily enough."

Realisation dawned on her face. "Ah. Lupin. You're the werewolf?"

Her eyes were filled with the same curiosity as before.

He looked away quickly, but didn't deny it.

He felt her small hand on his knee.

"Remus? It's... It's fine. It's all fine. Sorry, I wasn't trying to be rude or any-"

"Isn't this the part where you're meant to leave?" he said bitterly. A reminder, in case she had forgotten what a werewolf was.

"No." She sounded confused. "Why would I do that?"

He turned, eyebrow raised. "Aren't you worried I might try ripping your throat out or something?"

She almost laughed, although he thought that might be the drugs talking.

"No." She spoke honestly, without hesitation. "You're a person, same as me. Life catches up with all of us in the end." She blew out another plume of smoke. "Why worry about it?"

He wasn't used to this approach. Most people ran screaming.

"Don't you care?" he asked incredulously.

She looked at him, her eyes drilling into his. "Are you planning on ripping my throat out next full moon?"

He shook his head.

She shrugged. "Then no. I'm sure we can still be friends so long as we don't have sleepovers on full moons." She flashed a cheeky smile. "Deal?"

He was still slightly confused. But she had just said she wanted to be friends, so he would agree. "Deal."

"Wonderful." She threw the butt out into the rain. "Screw boyfriends. I've got the munchies. You coming for food?"

"Yeah. In a moment."

With a pleasant smile she flounced inside, humming. He waited in the rain, smiling softly to himself, doing his best to remind himself she had only said friends. And they couldn't, shouldn't, have anything more anyway.

Possibly more confused than he'd ever been in his life, Remus sighed, following her inside and closing the door behind him. He got the feeling his first impression of Tonks as a young, confused teenager had been very, very wrong. She was something else entirely.


End file.
